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Shop Dogs

Moving into a new house with a new shop space and looking to get myself a dog to hang out while I work. Needs to be smart enough to not think G12 is Kool-Aid or power steering fluid is melted popsicle.

Post up what you have and what you like most about em, also anything you feel is a reason to NOT get that type of dog. Help me decide. So far I'm liking the Alaskan Malamutes. A friend of mine had 2 different ones in an office space at his old job and they're pretty chill.

Doesn't matter what dog, if their curious enough they will drink/taste irregardless. So, don't get a dog and expect them to generalize with things that may be harmful/toxic to them. You would just need to be proactive about having those types of things laying around in reach of the pup.

Doesn't matter what dog, if their curious enough they will drink/taste irregardless. So, don't get a dog and expect them to generalize with things that may be harmful/toxic to them. You would just need to be proactive about having those types of things laying around in reach of the pup.

Are you planning to get an adult dog or puppy?

Yea I was just being funny. Obv I will be keeping an eye on him.

Probably getting a puppy, so it'd be awhile before I introduce it to the garage atmosphere.

I would suggest a medium/large dog. Around a shop the last thing you need is a toy poodle (or similar) choking on a zip tie or breaking their toes. A larger type dog will be more resilient to passing foreign objects and some toxins.

Have you owned a dog before? I would almost focus on defining a dog that you would want as a companion regardless of the setting and making the shop setting a secondary thought.

EDIT: I would suggest looking into a rescue too, before thinking about purchasing.

Yea I feel ya. Never owned a dog, but always loved everyone else's I've come to meet. It's hard for me to say "a husky is so me" or "a great dane will be my best friend". I like alot of breeds, so really my goal in this post was to figure out which to steer away from and which would qualify for potentials. I feel like the more relaxed the demeanor of a particular breed, the better choice it'll be to have around the shop environment. Less likely to get himself into something he shouldn't be getting into, easier to train and teach to stay away from certain things, etc.

Since this is your first dog, just keep the whole shop deal in the back of your head, but don't dismiss it, since (as you said) you'd like a dog who's temper and behavior is more acceptable for a shop environment. In the grand scheme of things, a lot of dogs can be 'shop dogs' once they get accustom to the surrounding.

You've mentioned "Husky" and Malamutes. Both, although they look somewhat the same, are really different in temperament and behavior. The latter tend to be more favorable for a family-type dog. I don't think a Husky-type dog would be a good first dog. Both are born to run, so they are very active and will require a decent amount of physical and metal exercise.

To sum up what I think you are looking for: Independent, even temperament, reserved energy and intelligent.

To be honest, mixes tend to be great all-around dogs, so don't get caught up in purebreds. It's great for research so if you know the mix, you can derive some educational guesses about their behavior and temperament, but keep the door open for mixes (which seem to populate a lot of shelters).

Before I moved into the purebred scene I spent months researching and reading books before deciding on what breed I wanted. And that's only the half of it. Then you have to go out and find a reputable breeder, which can be a process of it's own.

Research, go visit shelters, talk with people that have/know dogs, don't rush and don't get one purely base on looks and you should be good.

Another thing to consider is hair. Huskies and Malamutes are both prodigious shedders with very thick undercoats. In a shop environment, grease and oil are going to be difficult to keep out of all that hair.

Like the above poster said, research, research, and then research some more. Good luck!

I would recommend a female english mastiff.. all the way. They don't get absolutely huge, which is why i say a female over a male. Unless you want a 220 lbs dog. You can get them from rescues. They have amazing personalities. You can't help but smile at their faces. Short coats, virtually no shedding. Easy to maintain, and you certainly won't have people looking to rob you.

13 weeks old-28 lbs
2 years old- 147 lbs

I'll take my Koenigsegg Agera R anyway they want to give it to me. It can be pink, covered in 'Hello Kitto' livery and have a plate that reads 'I SUCK IT" and I'd still drive it with pride....

Funny these were the first two. I have a dog that is half of both of these, she is one of the smartest, sweetest dogs I've ever had/known. Stays by my hip almost all the time and have never had an issue with her running off.

Catahoula! I've got three dogs now, a shepherd mix, a rhodesian, and the catahoula. He's just over a year old now, and he is trained to get beer/soda out of "his" shelf in the door of the fridge. He loves people, takes well to training, and is super smart. Plus they were bred to hunt so they maybe more likely not to run and hide/bolt when it gets loud in the shop.

This is going to be one of the first advanced commands I want to train my pup. Could you list the stages you trained and how you tied it all together? Or did you even have to do stage out the command?

Something complex like this, I feel my stubborn Corsi might be a bit slower at it, so I'm trying to plan out how to properly stage it.

Yeah, Taz is in love with a orange and blue tennis ball and he loves tug of war so it was pretty easy, the only difficult part was getting him to close the door, and then after a few months he realized there was food in there and at thanksgiving time he helped himself to some turkey. But usually everything is in tupperware or a container so he doesn't bother it.

We started with his tug of war rope on the handle. Then modified the next few steps by putting his tennis ball in the fridge instead of going for broke with a beer can. Then we started playing fetch with a beer can full of treats in the yard. We also cleared out the bottom shelf in the door of the fridge and made it "his". Put some treats and then the cans in there. All-in-all it took like 3 weeks of working for 10 minutes or so a night. I am currently working on him to bring me Bell's beer bottles and everyone else Bud Light cans.

(shiba inu)
he's never even seemed interested in coolant or anything else. FWIW G12 has a bittering agent in it.

he's also pretty easy to keep clean. combs out pretty easy, doesn't like to step in anything that might stick to his paws (and won't get into puddles, hates getting wet kinda like a cat)

he's been with me in my shop since he was 10 weeks old. since this breed is fairly skiddish he doesn't bother with customers too much other then to come in and look at them, then go back to what he's doing.. usually looking out the window for cats to bark at.

I should add, they are pretty difficult to train, you gotta be THE MASTER, or they will win. they also don't like doing stupid human tricks... sit, stay, laydown, come here and shut up are about all he knows.

Thanks! He gets a lot of compliments. I feel bad for the troopers that pull me over and have to deal with the 85lbs GSD in the back seat growling and barking He likes to act tough but hes a big baby. He is still a puppy and a huge PITA, i wouldn't trade him for anything .